Stain removing device

ABSTRACT

A device for treating a stain is disclosed. The device includes a scrubber which has a backing with an inner surface and an outer surface. Extending from the outer surface of the backing is a plurality of scrubbing protrusions. Fastened to the inner surface of the backing is an absorber such as a sponge. The backing and scrubbing protrusions may be molded from a flexible, resilient material, with the scrubbing protrusions being conical in shape with rounded ends. The absorber may be compressed to remove liquid held therein by folding the device about itself such that the backing is over the absorber and applying pressure.

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The disclosure is generally related to a device to treat a soiledfabric, and more particularly to a combination sponge and scrubber.

BACKGROUND

[0002] Many stain removing liquids for fabrics such as carpet andupholstery direct the user to apply the liquid stain remover directly tothe stain, then agitate the stain and remover with a sponge or a papertowel. The user is then to blot up the stained area using a second papertowel or sponge. Depending on the severity of the stain, including thelength of time the stain has set, a paper towel, rag, or sponge does notprovide a sufficient agitation to effectively break up and lift thestain. Further, a more abrasive scrubbing brush may damage the fabric.There is a need for a stain removing device that can effectively agitateand scrub a fabric to lift a stain without damaging the fabric. It isalso desirable to have an attached absorber to blot and lift out thestain and liquid stain remover.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0003]FIG. 1 is a side view of an example of a stain removing device.

[0004]FIG. 2 is an isometric view of the stain removing device of FIG.1.

[0005]FIG. 3 is side view of the stain removing device of FIG. 1 in acompressed state.

[0006]FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the stain removing device of FIG. 1.

[0007]FIG. 5 is an isometric view of a second example of a stainremoving device.

[0008]FIG. 6 is a bottom view of the stain removing device of FIG. 5.

[0009] While the disclosure is susceptible to various modifications andalternative constructions, certain illustrative embodiments thereof havebeen shown in the drawings and will be described below in detail. Itshould be understood, however, that there is no intention to limit thedisclosure to the specific forms disclosed, but on the contrary, theintention is to cover all modifications, alternative constructions, andthe equivalents falling within the spirit and scope of the invention asdefined by the appended claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0010] Referring now to the drawings, and particularly to FIG. 1, anexample of a stain removing device 10 is illustrated. In the disclosedexample, the stain removing device 10 includes an absorber 12, with anouter surface 14 and an inner surface 16, and a scrubber 18. Theabsorber 12 can be any structure known to absorb liquids, including butnot limited to a sponge or sponge-like material, a towel, a cloth, orother materials known in the art. The scrubber 18 includes a backing 20,with an inner surface 22 and an outer surface 24, and a plurality ofscrubbing protrusions 26 extending from the outer surface 24 of thebacking 20. The inner surface 22 of the backing 20 is fastened to theinner surface 16 of the absorber 12 using any means known in the art,such as adhering the backing 20 to the absorber 12 using a glue.

[0011] In one example, the backing 20 can be made from a flexible,resilient material, such as rubber or a flexible elastomer material. Thescrubbing protrusions 26 can also be made from a flexible, resilientmaterial such as rubber or a flexible elastomer material. Further, thescrubbing protrusions 26 and the backing 20 can be made from the samematerial and, to facilitate ease of manufacture and assembly, thescrubbing protrusions 26 and the backing 20 can be molded as a singleunit.

[0012] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the scrubbing protrusions 26 can bemolded into a conical shape with rounded tips 30. The rounded tips 30ensure that a delicate fabric will not be damaged while a user isscrubbing out a stain with the device 10. To increase flexibility anddecrease cost of manufacture, the scrubbing protrusions 26 can behollow.

[0013]FIG. 3 details a particular feature of the disclosed stainremoving device 10. With the backing 20 being manufactured from aflexible material, it is possible to fold the device 10 about itselfsuch that the absorber 12 is compressed upon itself and between a leftsection 32 and a right section 34 of the backing 20. By applyingcompressive force F on the absorber 12, liquid held within the absorber12, such as water, stain removing liquid, and the stain itself, may besqueezed out and disposed of, as is well known in the art. Being thatthe device 10 can flexible in all directions with a flexible backing 20,the device 10 can be folded about itself in any direction.

[0014]FIGS. 2 and 4 detail the geometric layout of the present exampleof the device, and define a direction X and a direction Y. The scrubbingprotrusions 26 may have a base diameter D1 and a crown diameter D2. Inthis example the scrubbing protrusions 26 can have a base diameter D1 ofapproximately 5 mm and can taper to a crown diameter D2 of approximately3 mm at the rounded tips 30. The scrubbing protrusions 26 further have adistance D3 between their respective centers along the X direction, anda distance D4 between their respective centers along the Y direction. Inthis example, the distance D3 can be approximately 9 mm, and thedistance D4 can also be 9 mm. The angle θ between directions X and Y canbe approximately 73°. All dimensions listed herein are illustrative, andmany sizes and dimensions may be found to be effective.

[0015]FIGS. 5 and 6 show an isometric view and a bottom view of a secondexample of a stain removing device 40. The features and functionality ofthe second stain removing device 40 are similar to the first stainremoving device 10, however the layout of the scrubbing protrusions 42are different. In this example, the rows and columns of the scrubbingprotrusions 42 define directions X2 and Y2 which have an angle θ2 whichis approximately 90°. The distance D5 between the centers of thescrubbing protrusions 42 along the X2 direction is approximately 9 mm,and the distance D6 between the centers of the scrubbing protrusions 42along the Y2 direction is also approximately 9 mm.

[0016] The stain removing device disclosed herein is particularlyadapted for the use of removing stains associated with owning a pet.Pets such as dogs and cats tend to leave large stains with largeparticles that smell unpleasant, i.e. vomit, feces, etc. The largerscrubbing protrusions with rounded end points allow for thoroughscrubbing action to remove the large particles without damaging theunderlying fabric. This is very helpful when dealing with such anunsightly and unpleasant mess.

[0017] To use the stain removing device 10, a user may apply a stainremoving liquid to a stain in a fabric such as carpet, upholstery,clothing, etc. The user can then agitate the stain by rubbing thescrubbing protrusions 26 against the stain, thereby lifting the stainfrom the fabric. The user can then invert the device 10 and blot thestain and the liquid by applying the absorber 12 to the fabric to removethe liquids from the fabric. The user can then rid the absorber 12 ofthe liquids by folding the device 10 about itself and applying pressure,such that the absorber 12 is compressed on itself and between the leftsection 32 and the right section 34 of the backing 20. By compressingthe absorber 12, liquid is forced out of the absorber 12 as is wellknown in the art.

[0018] From the foregoing, one of ordinary skill in the art willappreciate that the present disclosure sets forth a device for removingstains in a fabric. However, one of ordinary skill in the art couldreadily apply the novel teachings of this disclosure to any number ofsituations in which this device could be used. For example, this devicemay be useful as a shower aid or in massage therapy. As such, theteachings of this disclosure shall not be considered to be limited tothe specific examples disclosed herein, but to include all applicationswithin the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A cleaning apparatus comprising: an absorber; ascrubber including a backing with an inner surface and an outer surfaceand a plurality of scrubbing protrusions extending from the outersurface of the backing; and wherein the absorber is attached to theinner surface of the backing.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein thebacking is resiliently flexible, whereby the apparatus is capable ofbeing folded about itself such that the absorber is squeezed to removeliquids held therein.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the backingis rubber or flexible elastomer.
 4. The apparatus of claim 2, whereinthe scrubbing protrusions are manufactured from a resilient material. 5.The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the scrubbing protrusions are rubberor flexible elastomer.
 6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the backingand the plurality of scrubbing protrusions are manufactured from asingle mold.
 7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the scrubbingprotrusions are coneshaped.
 8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein thescrubbing protrusions have a rounded endpoint.
 9. The apparatus of claim8, wherein the scrubbing protrusions are hollow.
 10. The apparatus ofclaim 2, wherein the absorber is a sponge.
 11. The apparatus of claim 2,wherein the absorber is bonded to the scrubber by an adhesive.
 12. Amethod of treating a stain in a fabric, including a flexible scrubberattached to a sponge, the method comprising: agitating the fabric withthe flexible scrubber, inverting the scrubber, and blotting the stainwith the sponge, thereby treating the stain.
 13. The method of claim 12,further including compressing the sponge by folding the flexiblescrubber about the sponge to remove the liquid from the sponge.
 14. Themethod of claim 12, further including the step of applying a cleaner tothe stain prior to scrubbing the fabric with the flexible scrubber. 15.A device for removing pet stains, comprising: a sponge; a scrubberincluding a backing with an inner surface and an outer surface and aplurality of scrubbing protrusions extending from the outer surface ofthe backing; the backing being flexible and resilient; the scrubbingprotrusions being flexible and resilient, and having rounded endpoints;the backing and the scrubbing protrusions being of unitary construction;and wherein the sponge is attached to the inner side of the backing. 16.The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the scrubbing protrusions aresubstantially conical.
 17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein thescrubbing protrusions have a base diameter of approximately 5 mm, and acrown diameter of approximately 3 mm.
 18. The apparatus of claim 17,wherein the distance between the centers of the scrubbing protrusions isapproximately 9 mm.
 19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the scrubbingprotrusions are disposed in rows and columns, and the angle between therows and columns is approximately 90 degrees.
 20. The apparatus of claim18, wherein the scrubbing protrusions are disposed in rows and columns,and the angle between the rows and columns is approximately 73 degrees.